An application to convert a former wool combing facility site at Bomen into a dump for recycled and non-odorous waste is open for public feedback, after new documents were submitted in response to community concerns.
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The proposal would see effluent evaporation ponds on the Riverina site, which were formerly used for wool scouring, transformed into landfill holdings for waste from Visy in Tumut.
The development, first proposed in 2017, has met with resistance from some in the community who fear toxic rainwater runoff from the landfill will contaminate the Eunony Valley and potentially impact the Murrumbidgee River.
In new documents responding to a request for information about contamination risks from the Environmental Protection Authority, the applicants, Riverina Warehousing Solutions, proposed minimising water runoff with a bund water system.
Eunony Valley Association's Bill Schulz said the proposal does little to address the community's concerns.
"We don't think this water management plan will keep any runoff from the site," Mr Schulz said. "The natural contour of the land is that it runs down through the country to the east and south and that's the Murrumbidgee Flood Plain.
"There's a real risk that the wash from the waste will go into the Murrumbidgee and into Wagga's water supply."
He pointed out a serious spill, as he said was seen at the site in the 1990s when it was still in use for wool scouring, could pose risks to large swathes of agricultural land, including vineyards.
"This is more than my backyard, it is a completely bizarre location for a waste facility," Mr Schulz said.
Fellow resident and association member Jan Pollard said she is concerned homeowners will bear the consequences of what she feels is a poorly thought out development plan from the applicants.
"We live here, this is home, this is where we work [and] our opinions weren't listened to with this rubbish tip," she said. "I can't believe this ugly thing has reared its head again."
The site also sits above two water tables.
EPA restrictions put to the proposal stipulate that "a waste facility may not be constructed within 40 metres of a permanent or intermittent water body or in an area overlying an aquifer that contains drinking water quality groundwater that is vulnerable to pollution".
An environmental impact assessment submitted by the applicants claimed the two aquifers are disputable sources of drinking water and not of high quality.
Wagga Council City development manager Paul O'Brien said the council will be assessing plans to mitigate water contamination risks both above and below ground when they eventually assess the application after the exhibition period.
"At council, in our assessment we will look at the potential for overland [water] flow leaving the site and the potential for groundwater contamination," he said. "These are items the applicant will need to address in their submission and that will be assessed."
A spokesperson for the EPA said the department will disclose their position after the submission period ends next week.
Mr O'Brien said that similarly, Wagga City Council will form an opinion on the application after the public exhibition closes on July 2 and after they consult with the EPA.
Riverina Warehousing Solutions declined to comment for this story.
